


After the void

by queststar



Category: Daughter From Another Mother, Madre Solo Hay Dos, Madre Solo Hay Dos | Daughter From Another Mother (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:14:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29024046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queststar/pseuds/queststar
Summary: After the series finale, Ana moves to pick up the pieces and is determined to get her daughter Regina back. One way or the other.
Relationships: Ana Servín/Mariana Herrera
Comments: 56
Kudos: 176





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I have no idea AT ALL where this is going but after the season's finale, I just had to get all the angst out of my system. So I don't know anything about ratings yet, tags, or whatever -- I'll update when the story unfolds. Sorry for that in advance (but not really). I'm not sure when I'll update but I will, because this is too good of an opportunity to cast aside :)

Numb. That’s how she felt, sitting here on this bed with the radiology results unopened in her hand. How she had been feeling, ever since her life fell apart. She remembered it well, the exact moment she couldn’t deal with it anymore, the moment she broke down. Shattered into a million little pieces. 

A year ago, Ana couldn’t have imagined opening her house to a near-stray to raise their daughters together because the girls had been switched at birth. A month ago, Ana had a beautiful extended family, a good job, and she was happy.

A week ago, it had all started to fall apart. Piece by piece. Like dominoes, her life had started to crumble, and it seemed to accelerate with every falling stone until nothing was left but utter destruction. Every single piece had contributed to her final demise.   
  
But there was one event. One thing that had topped them all. One that had destroyed her.

It wasn’t the discovery of a hard knob in her right breast. The fact that it might be more than just a scare. Her doctor had told her it didn’t look good and that she had to prepare for a long trajectory. She hadn’t told anyone, had suffered these appointments alone, all up till the final one. She didn’t want to think about that one.

It wasn’t the fact that she had quit her job because the assholes had apparently looked for a way to derail her or get rid of her. She took matters into her own hand quickly, because nobody,  _ nobody _ was going to fire her, thank you very much. She knew she would find a job in a heartbeat. In fact, she already had a job offer waiting for her. Her contract forbade her to work for immediate competitors within a year of her resignation, but given her circumstances, she would have to take time off anyway, so that would not pose a problem.

It wasn’t the revelation that Juan Carlos had cheated on her after he had successfully guilt-tripped her into believing she had been the culprit. God, she had almost told their children that she had been the one at fault, while all the time, he had been a cowering weasel about his own antics.

It even wasn’t the fact that he had cheated on her with Tere, Mariana’s pathetic, whining, immature mother, who she had invited into her own house. He had even given her money to buy her off - she chuckled darkly as she recalled him saying it was only a loan. Really. As if they were ever going to see that money back. Despite her own unfortunate breakdown and demise at the christening, it had felt strangely satisfying to see Tere storm off, upset and in tears. Let the bitch hurt as much as her cheating it hurt her. Pests don’t perish, but they feel pain.

Ana’s chuckle echoed through the room, as did the sigh that followed.

It wasn’t even entirely the fact that Mariana had known about it, and apparently for quite some time already, and hadn’t said a word. Given, this particular part had perhaps hurt even more than the actual betrayal. Ana had thought Mariana was her friend. They had helped each other. Supported each other. Christ, Mariana had gone with her to the hospital when Ana was a mess. 

Ana had trusted her. Had cared for her. And Mariana had betrayed her. It had outraged her as not even Juan Carlos’ deceit had. And Mariana had looked as if she had wanted to say something, anything, but she simply begged for forgiveness, saying she had been vulnerable, didn’t want to hurt -- Ana scoffed loudly in the silent room. The sound was loud, almost harsh in the quiet space.

She’d never held Mariana for a coward. She was a traitor, siding with her mother and her treacherous excuse for an almost ex-husband. Her lies and deceit had felt like she stabbed Ana in the back and twisted the knife to make sure she would stay down.   
  
And then, when Ana’s anger had reached a climax, Mariana had lunged forward, grabbed her face, and had pressed her lips against hers. Ana had recoiled immediately, shocked to her very core. Her eyes had widened, nostrils flaring, asking what she was  _ doing _ , and Mariana had told her she was in love with her. Foolish, foolish child. Ana moved to touch her lips at the memory. Mariana didn’t even  _ know _ what love actually meant.

_ Get out of my house _ . Her own shrieked words rang through her mind as her heart had shattered. 

That, right there. 

There it was.

That had been the moment the world fell away from under her feet. The moment everything had crashed down on her. Because not only did sending Mariana away mean that she lost someone she had considered to be a friend, someone she had trusted more than she did some of her oldest friends, it also meant that Regina, her sweet, beautiful baby, the little wonder she had taken care of alone for the first four months of her life, would go away. 

Mariana had fled and Ana had sunk through her knees upon that realization, sobbing uncontrollably, stubborn enough not to recant her decision, confused enough not to be able to. God, she’d been tired, so tired, of betrayal after betrayal. Hurt after hurt. She didn’t know how long she had been lying in the dirt, but after a while, Alta had gently picked her up and had helped her get in bed, while Juan Carlos had left the house. 

The days after, Ana had wandered the house, let Alta take care of Ceci and Rodrigo. She had spent countless hours in the nursery with only Valentina, the other crib strangely empty. Vale was her lifeline, the one thing she could pull through for, and the baby had been covered in hugs and kisses and attention, to cope with the absence of her other daughter. 

To compensate for the loss of her baby’s other mother as she felt stripped from her other daughter.

She sang for Vale when she was being fed. Smiled as she played with her. 

Sobbed uncontrollably as she slept. Until she ran out of tears and another feeling settled in her heart.

Dullness. It all came together in a dull throbbing inside her chest.

She sighed. Stared down to the hands, fingers folded around an envelope in her lap. She wondered if the content, the result of her tests, would even matter. The paper wrinkled in her tight grip. 

She opened it. Her eyes slid over the content, and she stared at the final result.

Very well, then. 

She folded the paper together and blinked. Her gaze stared into the distance, not seeing anything for a few seconds.

Then, she blinked again as the realization of the results finally dawned on her. Apparently, the result did matter. Another energy settled in her chest. Determination violently pushed the dullness aside and she squared her shoulders. 

She lifted her head, eyes narrowed, lips pursed in resolution. The envelope with the results crumpled into a ball of paper between her strong fingers.

Ana knew exactly what she was going to do.

First, she needed to make some arrangements for Ceci and Rodrigo. And then she was going to find her other daughter. Because she was going to get her back. 

No matter what the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

There are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Not everyone goes through all five of them, or the order isn’t always the same for all who are grieving.

It was two days after Ana read the radiology report. Soon, she would have her first follow-up call with her doctor.

Five stages of grief. It would be great to have more control over them, Ana mused. She liked being in control. Needed it. Being in control gave her the confidence that she could handle everything. If she could control these stages, she could make time to work through them efficiently. Make a plan to handle them. It’s what she did best.

Well, she smiled wryly, at least, the results had pulled her out of her funk. And if she couldn’t fucking control the stages of grief, she would focus on the things she  _ could  _ still bend to her will. Control would get her out of this mess.

Five fucking stages and she’d seen all of them already, or at least partially, because they attacked them at moments she least expected them to. Sometimes simultaneously. Sometimes successively.

Depression. Before reading her results, depression had taken a hold of her, she now realized. The numbness was only one symptom of heartbreak in several ways, insecurity, and fear of death, maybe. She’d cried until there weren’t any tears left. Until she’d stopped feeling anything.

Denial. Well, maybe this one had come before her depression. Even though she’d ruined their daughters’ Christening with her crazy drunk accusations, she still had had difficulties believing it. After that, she’d believed that Mariana didn’t mean what she’d said. She was just very young, and hardly knew the difference between an infatuation and love. It was logical, really, for Mariana to emotionally declare her love. They had, after all, been living together for a couple of months, they were, after all, both mothers to their daughters. Maybe Ana couldn’t even blame Mariana for thinking what she felt. Her timing just had been horrible.

Acceptance. She was far from accepting any of the current status quo. She was still hurting over Juan Carlos and his betrayal, and honestly, if it weren’t for Ceci and Rodrigo, she’d have destroyed him. But he was a decent enough father, even though the kids were upset with him, too. And she honestly to god wasn’t going to be the bitter, resentful, abandoned party in their breakup - no matter how bitter and resentful she currently felt. She was better than that.

Bargaining, especially with herself. If only she could’ve seen it, then she could have countered it. Stopped it. Everything. If only Mariana had told her about her little crush. If only her husband hadn’t been such a godawful coward for letting her believe that she’d been the culprit. If only Mariana had come forward about Juan Carlos and her fucking - literally! - mother earlier, they wouldn’t have been in this mess. 

Ah. And there it was.    
  
Anger.

Well. Perhaps these stages weren’t easily controlled, at least anger was easily summoned. She snorted as she tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. She was angry with a lot of people. Juan Carlos. Tere. Mariana. God, just thinking of the way she’d invited Tere into their house, the way Ana had been the only one not knowing what was going on, the way they had collectively humiliated her, betrayed her - yes. It was very easy to get upset.

She used the anger to push herself forward these past days, and it was why, after taking notice of the results, she had tried to call Mariana. Several times. 

Mariana hadn’t picked up. Ana scoffed, rolled her eyes at the memory. Of course she hadn’t. It was a pattern with her. She’d seen Mariana decline calls from her mother several times, whenever they were having an argument. Apparently, now it was the time for Ana to be ignored. Mariana did not want to talk.

Ana shook her head. A muscle clenched in her jaw. Well, the younger woman would soon learn that Ana wasn’t giving up so easily. In fact, it only made the determination to find her increase - she was like a dog with a bone. In the end, Ana thought, it would indeed be better to just be face-to-face when Ana said what she wanted to say. She was going to make her listen, one way or another.

A soft sound from the back seat made her look up. Valentina, who had been sleeping soundly in her car seat, was now on the verge of waking up. Ana’s eyes crinkled, the corner of her lips pulled up. She’d brought her daughter because it was only fair: she wanted to see Regina, but she guessed Mariana also wanted to see Vale. 

No matter what kind of rocks, or mountains, would lie on their shared path, they were  _ still  _ both their mothers. Which meant that Ana would be on this relentlessly. Mariana hadn’t seen anything yet. Ana could be very… persuasive if she wanted something. Especially now she didn’t have a job to worry about and she could focus on this full time.

“You want to see your sister, little one?” Ana whispered as she looked outside, to the building she was standing in front of. She’d been here once before when Vale hadn’t stopped crying because she’d been so hungry. The day that Ana had played rock-paper-scissors and had won. It had been nighttime, then. During the daytime, it didn’t look any better. She wrinkled her nose in disdain. This was no place to raise a child, and especially not  _ hers, _ Anna scowled. She opened the door and swung her legs out of the car. 

Let’s get this over with.

She opened the back door and smiled at her daughter. “Let’s go see them, shall we?” she cooed. She was rewarded with a big laugh - she briefly remembered how long it had taken Valentina to laugh at her -, and some burbling noises. It was good enough. She took the car seat from the car and resolutely, she strode to the run-down apartment building where Mariana lived. She wasn’t sure which number they lived on, but there were surely people who could give her that information.

She didn’t need to ask anyone, because, when she entered the building, car seat on her arm, the door in front of her opened and there she was, standing eye to eye with Tere.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock and she recoiled, reeling, desperately wanting to close the door. “No, you don’t,” Ana growled and afterward she didn’t know how she’d done it, but she lunged forward and she managed to keep Tere from closing the door in her face.

“What do you want?” Tere shrieked, her eyes flashing from Ana to Valentina and back. “Haven’t you done enough to my family?”

Ana’s eyebrows raised and nearly disappeared in her hairline. Was that  _ really _ what Tere was going to go with?

“Nothing from you,” Ana snarled, not even bothering to pretend some friendliness. “I’m here to see Mariana.”

“Well, she’s not here,” Tere bit back, “thanks to you.”

Ana scoffed, clenched her fist. “Thanks to  _ me? _ ” 

“You got into her head,” Tere snarled, “You made her think she was better than all of us. She doesn’t even want to talk to me now. And that’s your fault.” Tere had rediscovered her courage and her eyes shone with defiance.   
  
“Well,” Ana countered, “Perhaps if you hadn’t slept with my husband, she wouldn’t feel the need to avoid you, as you wanted her to keep it a secret. I overheard, I  _ know _ .”

“If you had kept him happy he wouldn’t have signed up for that dating app and I’d have never met him.” Her jaws snapped shut and her eyes flicked through the hallway.

Ana’s eyebrows shot up again, and then her brow furrowed. “Ah, I see. So you’re actually delusional enough to believe it’s all my fault.” It wasn’t a question.

Tere only clenched her teeth, a muscle straining in her jaw. 

“It’s remarkable,” Ana said sugary, “that your daughter, even at her young age, has more sense of responsibility than you have. Now. Tell me where she is.”

“She… what are you going to do to her?” Suddenly, Tere looked nervous.

“What, are you afraid I’ll...  _ defile  _ her? Fuck her like you did my husband?” Ana said with a vicious smile. It slipped without thinking, and even though she usually wasn’t that crass, it had the desired effect to hurt the woman. Tere had never looked more shocked than in that very moment. It lasted a few seconds before the woman recovered. 

“What the hell?” she cried out, and Ana huffed impatiently.

“Oh, please, stop being so prudish,” Ana bit at her, “You’re the one sleeping with married men. Tell me where she is. If you’re not telling me, I’m still going to find out.”

Tere eyed her warily. “You want her to move in with you again?” she snapped.

“That’s between Mariana and myself and none of your business.”

“Well,” Tere said, a little reluctant, “she’s far away. She’s in Tepoztlán, with her grandmother. She didn’t want to stay here and Pablo… well.” She shook her head. “ Maybe if you can convince her to come back, at least she’ll be in the area again.” She smiled, her eyes shining with tears. Was she seriously about to cry? Was she seriously _thanking_ Ana for getting Mariana home?

Ana’s lip curled up in disgust. She was not going to be used by this woman as a way to get closer to her daughter again. “Make no mistake, Tere,” Ana icily informed her, “When Mariana returns, and I have no doubt that she will after I talk to her, you’ll never be invited to my home again.” 

With that, she turned on her heels and left the building, Valentina’s happy sounds was an odd contrast to the argument she’d just stepped away from. She smiled down at her daughter. “Are we up for a road trip, sweetheart?” Valentina cooed happily, and she strapped the baby’s car seat in the seatbelt before taking the driver’s seat again. 

Throwing a final glance at the building, she felt oddly disappointed for not seeing Mariana, but at the same time, she was actually quite happy that she hadn’t been staying with that deceptive snake of a mother. Briefly, she wondered if this is where Juan Carlos had also moved to, but she shook her head as she unlocked the car door. She had to get home, get some supplies, and then they would hit the road. 

Before she started the car, she picked up her phone and called Mariana, but it went to voicemail again. Suit yourself, Ana thought. Mariana  _ was _ going to talk to her, whether she wanted to or not.


	3. Chapter 3

_'Far away,'_ as Tere had said, was just a matter of perspective. Tepoztlán was only one and a half hours away from the city but Ana figured, when you didn’t have a car, the crappy bus connection would take up to almost half a day. 

It was a good thing she had a car, then. She didn’t want to think about how Regina probably had been stuck in those noisy, smelly buses all day. No child of hers should be forced to travel that way - and Regina  _ was _ still her child. As much as Vale was still Mariana. It complicated matters intensely, but that was what it was. They’d have to deal with it, like grown-ups. In the back, Valentina was cooing happily, playing with a toy that Ana had fastened to the car seat after she’d had to stop three times because the baby dropped it next to the car seat. Practice made perfect, and Ana was rather content with her solution.

Despite the air conditioning in the car, Ana felt clammy when she finally arrived in Tepoztlán. The sun had been burning on the car the entire journey and the cool flow of air seemed to heat up immediately after leaving the grilles of the air conditioning. Fortunately, it didn’t take her long to find the address of Mariana’s grandmother.

While she parked the car, she started to feel strangely anticipated. Nervous. Up till now, she had been determined to force Mariana to listen, but now, her stomach twisted. Couldn’t get herself to leave the car just yet, needed to recollect herself. Ana tapped her finger against the steering wheel as she studied the house - much the same way she’d studied Tere’s apartment building the day before. But even though it wasn’t big, or in an expensive neighborhood, it was well-kept, cozy, and surprisingly homey. Ana couldn’t help but think that despite everything, Mariana had made the right decision to come here. 

It had been one and a half weeks since they had seen each other since Ana had seen Regina, but it had felt like months. The empty crib next to Valentina’s had pained her every time she had entered the nursery. Perhaps it was silly, but she wondered if Regina had changed already. How quickly did babies forget, anyway? Would she still know Ana? And Vale, would she recognize Mariana? Mariana probably would know the answer, Ana thought. The young woman had been way more invested in topics about baby development than Ana was, even though Ana had already raised two children. But these kinds of things had never bothered Ana. Until now, now one of her children had disappeared from her life.

She shook her head, squared her shoulders, and reached for the door. When she opened it, she was met with an obliterating heat - she’d forgotten how hot it was with her air conditioning on, and she instantly felt sticky. She quickly got out and opened the back door, to get Vale out of her car seat. “Come here, you,” she purred at the baby, who giggled loudly and reached for Ana’s hair. She carefully pulled away, knowing by experience how tight those little fingers could curl around anything, and lifted her into her arms, nuzzled her nose. Valentina returned by blowing a bubble in her face. The unconditional affection she received was enough to calm her nerves somewhat. With the baby close to her body, despite the hellish warmth, she walked up to the front door.

There was no doorbell, so Ana knocked on the door. “Just a minute!” she heard, and after a few seconds, the door opened. 

If Mariana’s grandmother was surprised, she didn’t show it. Lucía tilted her head. “Ana,” she said, her eyes softening when she saw Valentina. “Come in, come in!” She gestured wildly and stepped back, and Ana had no other choice than to comply. She was a little surprised by the welcome but decided that at least it was an improvement from Tere’s initial response. 

She stepped into the living room, and she immediately saw that yes, Mariana was staying here. She recognized some of Regina’s toys, a stack of neatly folded baby clothes, and a baby cot. But both Mariana and Regina were nowhere to be found.

“Where are they?” Ana asked, looking around. The living room was cozy, a little messy to Ana’s taste. Ana liked order in her living spaces but she had to admit, it suited the woman. 

“Asleep,” she said. “And Mariana needs it.” For a second, there was a frown on the woman’s forehead, but it had disappeared when she continued, “Do you want tea? I have some home-made herbal teas.”

Ana couldn’t help but snort. After the Christening, after everything had fallen apart, her own mother had told her she should go see Mariana’s grandmother because she had some herb mixes to calm her nerves. But honestly, one trip to the ER under the influence had been enough to cure her from trying anything intoxicating for a long time.

“Water is fine.”

The woman scoffed. “Don’t worry. My teas are perfectly healthy.”

“It’s too hot for tea,” Ana tried to avoid, but the woman waved it away. 

“Tea is perfect in this weather. It cools down your body. Don’t worry, I won’t spike it.” She winked. Ana sighed a little impatiently and rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest. It wasn’t going to help anyway. Lucía disappeared into the small kitchen.

In the meantime, Ana sat down on the edge of the couch and put Vale on the floor in front of her. The baby crowed when she noticed a toy she hadn’t seen in a while and tried to reach for it. Ana helped her get it. “You missed that one? We shouldn’t forget it when we go home,” she murmured, and she played with her daughter until the tea was ready and Lucía put it in front of her.

“She hasn’t been sleeping very well,” the older woman started, and for a moment, Ana wasn’t sure who she was referring to. “Mariana. I don’t know what happened, but she was very upset when she arrived here last week. She wouldn’t tell me what was going on.” The woman, obviously not caring about personal boundaries at all, narrowed her eyes at Ana. “The first day, all she did was cry. It upset the baby, too, so she collected herself. She puts up a front, my granddaughter, but she’s hurting and I know it’s not just because of Tere’s misbehavior. What’s going on?”

Nothing Ana wanted to elaborate on right now - not with this woman, anyway. There were a lot of things that she wanted to say, that she needed to say, that they were probably going to fight about, but honestly, it was nothing of Lucía’s concern.

“It’s something I need to-”   
  
“Ana?”

The name was hardly understandable in the shriek that came from the threshold and Ana’s head snapped up. The young woman in the door looked back, wide-eyed, and took a step back intuitively as Ana abruptly stood up. There was a strange flutter of anticipation in her stomach.

Mariana’s eyes flashed between her and the baby on the floor, who gurgled happily despite the sudden tension in the room.

“What the hell are you doing here?” 

It riled Ana up, more than she thought it would. Mariana’s words sounded like a half-accusation and she had  _ no _ right at all. “You didn’t return my calls,” she coolly retorted.

“Yeah, well, maybe that should tell you something,” Mariana said, anger flaring up in her dark eyes. 

“It tells me that you’re running away from your problems when you should face them, instead,” Ana bit back. From the corner of her eye, she noticed how Lucía withdrew to the kitchen.

“You sent me away, remember?” Mariana grouched, raising her chin. 

“What had you expected, Mariana?” Ana barked, her hands curling in fists. “That after your betrayal I’d open my arms for you to readily accept all that you’d have to offer?” There was a sarcastic tone, and she was actually a little surprised that Mariana looked hurt. She’s even more surprised how that affected her - her stomach squeezes lightly.

“I was just trying to protect you,” Mariana shot back, her forehead creasing, eyes shining. Ana scoffed at that. 

“By keeping the truth from me? By lying to me? You were my  _ best friend.  _ God, I can’t believe just moments before I told you…” She raised her hand to her forehead, the fond words in the ritual before Valentina’s Christening suddenly fresh on her mind and she rubbed her temples lightly, trying to stop the sudden pounding in her head. “I invited that - that  _ woman  _ into my house, not knowing what she did to my family. The least you could have done is give me a fair warning.”   
  
“I didn’t invite her,” Mariana protested vehemently, “ _ You _ did.”   
  
“Because I didn’t  _ know.  _ She is your  _ mother.  _ I thought she needed to be there! __ They were at a dead-end, much like they were a few weeks ago. 

“Why are you here?” Mariana finally asked, in a softer tone, “to just slap this in my face again?” Her voice sounded pained.    
  
Ana sighed. As much as she wanted to stay angry, Mariana’s tone took the wind from her sails. There was so much she had wanted to say, but right now, none of it felt right. There was only one thing. “I need you to come home.”

“Home.” There was a disbelieving tone in Mariana’s voice. 

“My house. Regina’s home.” She couldn’t help a slight accusation slip in her tone but Mariana didn’t miss it. She folded her arms and raised her chin defiantly. 

“Why the hell would I agree to that?”

A silence fell between them as Ana clenched her teeth, trying not to lash out. “Because Regina and Valentina belong together,” Ana said, chin raised. “We decided a long time ago that we’re both their mothers. They deserve both of us. We’ll just…” She waved her hand impatiently between them. “Have to figure out how to rebuild trust between us.”

Mariana quietly eyed her, and even though Ana was determined to take both her and Regina back with her, she felt her hands getting clammy as the silence became longer. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, she opened her mouth. But before any sound came out, there was a soft wail coming from behind Mariana. The young woman held Ana’s gaze for a moment, eyes filled with so many conflicting feelings, then turned to get Regina. 

She returned within a minute and upon seeing the bleary-eyed baby, Ana’s heart jumped up. She knew she’d missed Regina, but only now she realized how much. She swallowed thickly, felt the tears sting behind her eyes. Automatically, she took a step forward, but Mariana’s warning gaze kept her from coming too close. Ana swallowed, bent over to pick up Valentina, and then closed the remaining distance between them. Oh, how she recognized the longing in Mariana’s eyes as the young mother looked at the blond baby in Ana’s arm. “Switch,” Ana commanded gently, and they exchanged the babies quietly as they had done many times before. 

And Ana pressed Regina close, the way Mariana hugged Valentina, breath choking in her throat as she inhaled the sweet, specific scent of the baby she had raised the first four months of her young life. As she pressed her nose to the soft baby hairs, she vowed that Regina would definitely return to the city with them.

Her eyes went up again, and she met Mariana’s gaze, who stared back at her. Ana narrowed her eyes, but couldn’t get the slight smile on her face while holding Regina in her arms. Mariana’s mouth curved up in reply.

“Please,” Ana suddenly said softly, nuzzling Regina’s head, and she didn’t miss Mariana’s soft gasp. 

“Mariana,” they suddenly heard from behind Ana, and both women looked up. Lucía stood on the threshold in the kitchen, her arms folded in front of her chest. “Fix this.”

Mariana’s soulful eyes flashed from her grandmother to Ana, and there were so many emotions showing simultaneously that it took Ana’s breath away. Mariana turned away her gaze, inhaled Valentina’s scent, and tightened her grip around their daughter. Vale protested and Mariana loosened her hold, gently tickling the baby’s belly in response. The baby giggled and Mariana’s shoulders sagged.

“Okay.”

Ana’s head jerked up. “What?”   
  
“I’ll come with you.”

Ana had thought she was going to fight tooth and nails to get this result, and the relief that wasn’t needed was almost overwhelming. She exhaled slowly, trying to suppress the slight shake in her breath. “Pack your things,” she said, mouth curving in a small smile and Mariana nodded. And it was as if Mariana wanted to say something else but hesitated. Ana tilted her head and waited, but it wasn't Mariana who spoke.

“You’ll need to eat first,” Lucía interrupted them both, “and pack later. Lunch is ready - ah ah. Don’t fight me on that, young lady,” she warned Ana, who had wanted to protest but her jaw snapped shut at the older woman’s stern gaze. “You’ve had a long trip and Valentina needs her rest. There’s plenty of time to go home. Now, give me my other granddaughter,” she said, plucking Valentina from Mariana’s arms. 

Ana hesitated. She knew the woman was right. However, she didn’t want Mariana to change her mind. She turned her head to face Mariana, who felt her watching and tore her gaze from Lucía and Valentina to catch Ana's gaze. The gaze of the younger woman was calmer now, and she nodded once. Slowly, Ana mimicked the gesture. And she knew that Mariana wouldn’t change her mind again.

Ana’s shoulders relaxed. She reminded herself that this wasn’t going to be easy - this was an unexpected bonus - but for now, she was content with the progress she'd made today.

**Author's Note:**

> And since there's a lot of possible things to explore, I'm open for suggestions :)


End file.
